University of Texas at El Paso Academic Catalog

Academic Catalog

BA in Dance

Graduates can find work as educators, dance studio teachers and owners, dance team coaches, community dance practitioners, arts administrators, movement specialists, and dance therapists. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that dance-related jobs are extremely competitive for the next eight years. The median annual pay could be almost $40,000.

Marketable Skills

Students will develop:

  • Confidence: Be self-assured through appreciating your own talents, abilities, skills, and qualities
  • Global awareness: Understand and appreciate people, cultures, and ideas from around the world that impact our community
  • Leadership: Step up, think, and act critically and creatively to bring others together to accomplish a common task
  • Social responsibility: Act ethically and responsibly for the benefit of society and the public good
  • Teamwork: Participate as an effective, efficient member of a group in order to meet a common goal
  • Time management: Prioritize goals and organize time to be more productive and efficient.

Additionally, students will learn:

  • Conflict resolution
  • Creative problem solving
  • Empathy
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Pedagogy: specifically radical, embodied and empathic pedagogy 

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Dance must pursue a minor in education. Students will be required to take 42 credits to satisfy the University Core requirements, 21 credits to satisfy the minor in education, 3 credits of English at the 3300 level or higher, and 54 credits in the major.

All students seeking the Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education are required to earn a minimum grade of "C" in all DANC designated courses.

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Dance must pursue a minor in education. Students will be required to take 42 credits to satisfy the University Core requirements, 21 credits to satisfy the minor in education, 3 credits of English at the 3300 level or higher, and 54 credits in the major.

Degree Plan

Required Credits: 120

Background Check Required
A complete background check is required of all students who wish to receive teacher certification in the State of Texas. Students will be required to pass a background check before certification will be conferred by the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC).
University Core Curriculum
Complete the University Core Curriculum requirements.42
Dance Major
Foundations (27 Credit Hours)
DANC 2301Improvisation3
DANC 2341Ballet Foundations I3
DANC 2342Ballet Foundations II3
DANC 2345Contemporary Foundation 13
DANC 2346Contemporary Foundation 23
DANC 3303History of Dance as a Perf Art3
DANC 3305Dance Production3
DANC 3363Somatics3
Choose one of the following:
DANC 3348American Dance Forms - Jazz3
or DANC 3349 American Dance Forms Hip Hop
Embodied Studio Practices: Choose 15 credit hours. All courses in this section may be taken up to 2 times for credit.15
Intermediate Ballet I
Intermediate Ballet II
Intermediate Contempor Dance 1
Intermediate Contempor Dance 2
American Dance Forms - Jazz
American Dance Forms Hip Hop
Advanced Ballet I
Advanced Ballet II
Advanced Contemporary Dance 1
Advanced Contemporary Dance 2
Seminar
Embodied Theory Practices: Choose 12 credit hours12
Dance Theory and Composition
World Dance
Dances of Mexico and Spain
Performance Activism
Choreography
Choreography II: Group Forms
Seminar
Performance Studies
Performing Arts Management
Secondary Education Minor
Required Courses:
BED 4317Tch & Empwr ELLs in Sec Schls3
DANC 4394Dance Pedagogy3
EDPC 3300Intro to Youth Dev & Spec Ed3
RED 3342Content Area Literacy3
SCED 3311Curriculum Plan-Secondary Schl3
SCED 4691Student Teaching in Sec School6
English Upper-Division Electives
Select three hours of the following:3
Intro. to Literary Studies
Literary Studies
Literature and Film
Grammar and Writing
Gothic Literature
Children's Literature
Young Adult Literature
English Phonetics & Phonology
Detective Fiction
Chicana/o Literature
American Literature to 1865
Am. Literature 1865 to Present
African American Literature
Native American Literature
Postcolonial Literature
British Literature Before 1485
Sixteenth-Cent. Prose & Poetry
Shakespeare
Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry
17th Century Prose and Poetry
Literature of the Bible
Jewish American Literature
Holocaust Literature and Film
Early Modern British Drama
Restoration & 18th Century Lit
World Literature
Romantic Literature
Victorian Literature
History of Form I
Am. Poetry 1900 to Present
Multimdl & Hybrid Frms in ELA
English Laboratory
The Dynamics of Language
Reading and Writing Nonfiction
Reading/Responding/Literature
Computers and Writing
Special Topics in Writing
Women in Literature
Southwestern Literature
Folklore Of Mexican American
Chaucer
Milton
Literary Criticism
Am. Nonfiction/Poetry To 1900
American Fiction To 1900
Early 20TH Cent Am. Fiction
Am. Fiction 1945 to Present
The American Drama
British Drama Since 1880
Advanced Literary Studies
British Novel thru 18th Cent
British Novel: 19th Century
British Novel: 20th Century
Maj Am. Writer(s) through 1900
Maj Am Writer(s) since 1900
Writing Processes of Children
Tch Compos and Lit in Sec Schl
Sp Subjects in Engl for Tchers
Directed Study
Workplace Writing
Technical Writing
Adv Composition:Rhet Theory
Advanced Composition: Argument
Total Hours120

University Core Curriculum

The department may make specific suggestions for courses which are most applicable towards your major.

All courses require a C or better

I. Communication (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.
Select six hours of the following: 6
For students whose secondary education was in English:
Written and Oral Communication
Writing About Literature
Rhetoric & Composition I
Rhetoric & Composition 2
Rhetoric, Composition & Comm
For students whose secondary education was not in English:
Expos Engl Compos-Spkr Esl
Res & Crit Writng Spkr Esl
Total Hours6

II. American History (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role.
HIST 1301History of U.S. to 18653
HIST 1302History of U.S. Since 18653
Total Hours6

III. Language, Philosophy & Culture  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures.
Select one of the following:3
Intro-African Amer Studies
Latina/o Presence in the U.S.
English Literature
English Literature
Intro to American Fiction
Intro to American Drama
Intro to American Poetry
Making of the "Other" Americas
World History to 1500
World History Since 1500
Introduction to Philosophy
Ethics
Introduct to Religious Studies
Seeing & Naming: Conversations
Introduction to Womens Studies
Global Feminisms
Total Hours3

IV. Mathematics  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns, and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience.
Select one of the following:3
College Algebra
Trigonometry and Conics
Math in the Modern World
Math for Social Sciences I
Calculus I
Precalculus 1,2
Math for Social Sciences II
Statistical Literacy
Elementary Statistical Methods
1 A higher-level course in the calculus sequence can be substituted.
2 TCCN MATH 1314 will also satisfy this requirement.
Total Hours3

V. Life & Physical Sciences  (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining, and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on experiences.
Select one of the following:1-4
Astronomy Lab I
Elem Astronomy-Solar System
Elem Astr Stars & Galaxies
Introductory Biology Lab
Human Biology Laboratory
Topics in Study of Life I
Organismal Biology Laboratory
Introductory Biology
Human Biology
General Biology
Organismal Biology
Human Anat/Physio Lab I
Human Anat/Physio Lab II
Human Anat/Physiology I
Human Anat/Physiology II
Laboratory for CHEM 1305
Laboratory for CHEM 1306
Intro General Chemistry Lab
Intro Organic & Biochem Lab
General Chemistry
General Chemistry
Intro to General Chemistry
Intro Organic & Biochemistry
Environmental Sci. Lab
Non-major Lab for ESCI 1301
Intro to Environment Science 2
Intro to Environmental Sci
Laboratory for GEOG 1306
Physical Geography
Lab for GEOL 1313
Lab for GEOL 1314
Principles of Earth Sci - Lab
Laboratory for Geology 1212
Principles of Earth Sciences
Principles of Earth Science
The Blue Planet
Natural Hazards
Intro to Physical Geology
Intro to Historical Geol
Fundamentals of Nutrition
Wellness Dynamics
Microorganisms and Disease
General Physics I
General Physics II
Laboratory for PHYS 2320
Laboratory for PHYS 2321
Introductory Mechanics
Introductory Electromagnetism
Total Hours 6

VI. Political Science  (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations.
Required Courses:
POLS 2310Introduction to Politics3
POLS 2311American Gover & Politics3
Total Hours6

VII. Social and Behavioral Sciences  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture.
Select one of the following:3
Intro-Phys Anth/Archeolog
Intro-Cultural Anthropology
Cultural Geography
Intro to Linguistics
Econ for Engrs & Scientists
Intro to Chicano Studies
Asian American Studies
Interpersonal Communication
Mass Media and Society
Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Microeconomics
Introduction to Ed Psychology
Action Research in Classrooms
Introduction to Linguistics
Cultural Geography
Community Service
An Intro. to Linguistics
Lang. Inside & Out: Sel Topics
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Sociology
Cultural Geography
Total Hours3

VIII. Creative Arts (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative, and innovative communication about works of art.
Select one of the following:3
Art Appreciation
History of Art I
History of Art II
Chicana/o Fine Arts Appreciat
Dance Appreciation
Intro-Art of Motion Pict.
Music Appreciation
Jazz to Rock
Music, Culture, and Society
Introduction to Theatre
Total Hours3

IX. Component Area Option (six hours)

a. A minimum of 3 SCH must meet the definition and corresponding Core Objectives specified in one of the foundational component areas. b. As an option for up to 3 semester credit hours of the Component Area Option, an institution may select course(s) that: (i) Meet(s) the definition specified for one or more of the foundational component areas; and (ii) Include(s) a minimum of three Core Objectives, including Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and one of the remaining Core Objectives of the institution's choice.
Intro to Global Business
Public Speaking
Business/Profession Comm
Intro-Computational Thinking
Computer Programming Sci/Engr
Eng Innovation and Leadership
Introduction to Leadership
Inquiry in Math & Science
Seminar/Critical Inquiry
Total Hours0

4-Year Sample Degree Plan 

BA in Dance with a Concentration in All-Levels Education 

BA IN DANCE WITH A CONCENTRATION IN ALL-LEVELS EDUCATION
FRESHMAN
Fall
RWS 1301Rhetoric & Composition I3
DANC 1304Dance Appreciation3
DANC 2301Improvisation3
DANC 2341Ballet Foundations I3
DANC 2345Contemporary Foundation 13
Spring
HIST 1301History of U.S. to 18653
RWS 1302Rhetoric & Composition 23
Core-Component Area Option3
DANC 2342Ballet Foundations II3
DANC 2346Contemporary Foundation 23
DANC 3305Dance Production3
SOPHOMORE
Fall
Core - Social and Behavioral Sciences 3
Core-Life and Physical Science 3
Core-Mathematics3
DANC 3363Somatics3
Embodied Studio Practices Course3
Upper Division English3
Spring
HIST 1302History of U.S. Since 18653
Core-Life and Physical Sciences + Lab4
DANC 3303History of Dance as a Perf Art3
DANC 3348American Dance Forms - Jazz3
or DANC 3349 American Dance Forms Hip Hop
Embodied Theory Practices Course3
JUNIOR
Fall
POLS 2311American Gover & Politics3
Core-Component Area Option3
Embodied Theory Practices Course3
Embodied Theory Practices Course3
RED 3342Content Area Literacy3
Spring
POLS 2310Introduction to Politics3
Core-Language, Philosophy, & Culture3
Embodied Studio Practices Course3
Embodied Theory Practices Course3
SCED 3311Curriculum Plan-Secondary Schl3
DANC 4394Dance Pedagogy3
SENIOR
Fall
Embodied Studio Practices Course3
Embodied Studio Practices Course3
Embodied Studio Practices Course3
EDPC 3300Intro to Youth Dev & Spec Ed3
BED 4317Tch & Empwr ELLs in Sec Schls3
Spring
SCED 4691Student Teaching in Sec School6
Total Hours121

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